Worth It
by Ava Miranda Dakedavra
Summary: He blushed, looked pleadingly at the crowd that didn't even notice, but saw that Luna and Neville were grinning and waving him on. Of course she'd planned this. He should've denied everything. He sighed and dipped his head as Hermione blushed even darker and bit her lower lip. "Honestly," he began, "I really wish this wasn't because of a ruddy plant."


**I really do love this couple. It's a shame that there aren't more stories about them. *sigh***

**I own nothing but the plot, remember that, dearies. **

* * *

Blaise Zabini, our dashing hero, catapulted himself face first into his mattress, releasing a groan. Blaise was tall, had dark skin and hair, and brilliant blue eyes with a charming grin and an easy-going attitude. He worked in the new department at the Ministry for Magic – Department of Re-Classification. He had a partner, the two of them meandering everywhere and anywhere, re-classifying different creatures and species with an unbiased approach, stating the creatures' looks and temperaments and anything else that would be of importance.

The awful thing was that his partner was Hermione Granger. Not that there was anything wrong with Hermione, she was nice and kind and had a wicked sense of wit. No, there was certainly _nothing_ wrong with Hermione, and that seemed to be the problem. She was smart, funny, nice, and downright gorgeous.

The awful thing about Hermione Granger was that Blaise Zabini was extremely in love with her.

_Bug-_

_-ger._

Day by day, he had to go about as if everything were fine and dandy, when really all he wanted to do was shove her up against the nearest surface and snog her brains out. Seeing as she was an amazing duelist, let alone that she could probably kill him with her bare hands, that certainly was the _wrong_ thing to do. But some days, he thought it would be worth it. So bloody worth it.

And then, oho, _then_ the Ministry decided to hold a Christmas party – a Yule Ball if you wanted to get technical, and it was expected that everyone bring a date. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem for Blaise, he'd probably just ask Lovegood, one of his and Hermione's friends at work, and she'd go without expecting anything, but it would be a problem when Hermione showed up with some bloke and danced and laughed with him and –

Oh, his head was beginning to hurt again.

He would've given anything to kill the idiot who thought of the stupid ball, but then again, Hermione wouldn't be so keen to have him murder Percy Weasley. Honestly, everyone had probably thought it at one point. Besides, this would be justifiable, right? _Your Honor, I killed the Minister for Magic because he decided to throw a Christmas party and require that we bring dates. You see, this is a problem because I am an undeniable pathetic bloke who can't ask out my bloody partner because I'm in love with her, and it would be too painful to see her there with someone else. Ahh, yes, Mister Zabini, I completely understand, you're free to go._ Blaise groaned and turned to look up at his ceiling, an arm flung across his chest as the fire from the Floo alerted him of someone.

"Ahh, there you are, moping again?" Draco asked as he leaned against the doorway to his bedroom.

"Of course," he stated simply, "I hear it's all the rage among hormonal pre-teen boys after some schoolgirl."

"Well, to be fair, the schoolgirl-uniform has been ridiculously sexualized in a variety of media – mainly porn," Draco pointed out as he sat at the window seat before arching an eyebrow dully at his friend, "Blaise, I wasn't aware you went for that sort of thing." His serious façade dropped when Blaise threw a pillow at him, grinning and chuckling when it bounced off his head, his glaring best friend sitting up to frown at him.

"You are sick," he stated, "Does Tori know you are? I hope so. _Sick_. Maybe I'll tell her." He got a wicked grin as Draco sobered up and looked dully at him.

"Tori and I broke up, so I really don't care," he sniffed, flicking invisible lint off of his trousers.

Blaise grimaced, sitting up fully and running a hand along the back of his head, "Mate, I'm sorry."

"Ehh," he shrugged, "It was actually a mutual decision, so whatever. Mother didn't like her anyway, despite how she practically shoved her towards me."

"Hey, your mum wants grandchildren, she doesn't care who the mother is," Blaise grinned as Draco rolled his eyes at the true fact. "Draco Malfoy, you are twenty-seven, I should have at least three grandchildren and one on the way by now!" Blaise imitated, waving his finger at his friend sternly before grinning again, "Have I mentioned I love your mum?"

"Honestly, I'm ready to tell her I'm gay or something, just to get her off my back," he snorted as he frowned at the ceiling.

"Well, then she'd expect you to adopt several kids at once," he pointed out. Draco blanched and Blaise chuckled before standing and running a hand through his hair, "I'm assuming there's a reason you're here?"

"Want to go out?" Draco asked as he stood as well.

"Look, Mate, I know you just got through a break up, but I won't be your rebound," Blaise said before laughing when the pillow he'd thrown at Draco landed in his chest, holding it and laughing as Draco glared at him.

"I _meant_ like we go, drink, and get over our girl problems," he frowned.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good," Blaise smiled as he tossed the pillow back on his bed and followed him back to the Floo.

There was a small little Muggle pub they frequented often enough, so the bartender handed them drinks right when they sat down and leaned against the bar to arch an eyebrow at them, his grey mustache twitching.

"Blaise, still the same problem?" he asked.

"Yeah," Blaise sighed, slumping in his seat, glaring at his glass.

"Now, what about Draco?" he turned and asked the blonde.

"Broke it off with Tori," he muttered.

The bartender hissed before sighing, "You two just can't go five minutes without having some sort of problem or dilemma."

"Tell me about it," Blaise snorted with a grin before shaking his head as the bartender left, "It's like we're Gryffindors or something."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Blaise whirled around and gaped at Hermione as she smirked back at him, Draco looking between the two with wide eyes before taking a sip of his drink and looking away. "Her-Hermione! Wha-wha-what are you doing here?"

"Making sure my friends don't die from alcohol poisoning," she pointed to a rather rambunctious group near a window, which must've been acquired outside of the Wizarding World, as he didn't know them. "What about you?"

"Err – " he stalled before Draco answered.

"I am recently single and he is attempting to be my – err – 'wing man,'" the blonde stated before glancing at Hermione, "You're not exactly my type though."

"Oh, what, because I'm a Gryffindor?" she asked with a grin on her face, tilting her head.

"Nah, it's because I'm not really into the whole physical violence thing," he replied coolly, turning the stool around to face her and lean against the bar, "Sorry to get your hopes up, Granger."

"Sorry that your nose escaped unharmed," Hermione huffed.

Draco blinked back at her, "Unharmed? I was _bleeding!_ I almost had to have it reset!"

"Yeah, but you don't have a bump or anything," she pouted, "I would've loved to see your perfect little nose go off kilter. Imagine, I would've been the hero of my House."

"What, you weren't already?" Blaise asked in amusement.

Hermione blinked before sticking her tongue out at him childishly before turning back to Draco, "I have a friend, Adrianna, she's Muggle though, and recently had a breakup as well." Draco arched an eyebrow at her as she shrugged, "That's why we're here. I said I knew you two and she stated to go be her wing-woman and bring back one. Or both. Said she wasn't picky." Blaise snorted into his drink and Hermione chuckled, patting her partner's knee while grinning back at Draco. "You'll totally owe me though."

"Why is that, Granger?" he drawled.

"She's a gymnast," Hermione whispered deviously, making Blaise cough and splutter again as Draco's eyes got wider.

He glanced back at Blaise before turning dully back to Hermione, "Which one?"

"Girl with a dark shade of purple for hair, can't miss," she pointed back at the table, smirking when he stood, shrugged at Blaise, and walked over to the group. Hermione hopped up on Draco's stool and twirled it around to turn to Blaise. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Blaise asked.

"For being a better wing-man than you," she grinned as he snorted and rolled his eyes at her, but grinned as well. "I set up two people at _once!_ I am amazing." She sighed and batted her eyelashes at him, making him grin a little bit wider. "Tell me, Blaise, do you need to be set up?"

"No, I am perfectly fine," he insisted with a small, soft smile.

"Good," she nodded, "None of my friends are good enough for you." He blinked at her while she hopped off the stool, sighing lengthily, "I best get back, the rest of the singles are going to be asking to be set up as well, and it's best if you left soon before you get cornered by a stray." She reached up on her tiptoes to peck his cheek, grinning at him as she started to walk away, "See you on Monday!"

"Right, see you," he murmured, turning to his drink and downing it quickly before paying for his and Draco's drinks and heading for the door. He grimaced as he walked through Muggle London, wondering whether he was lucky or cursed. Perhaps it was a little bit of both.

* * *

"Of course, Blaise, I'll go with you."

Blaise released a sigh and pecked the top of her head, "Really, Luna, you're a life saver."

"Although, if I may ask," Luna said before he could leave her office, making him turn and blink at her, "Why don't you ask Hermione?"

He promptly shut the door and arched his eyebrows at her, "I – err – uhh?"

"You obviously have very strong feelings about her," she shrugged, "And there must be a reason you're asking me only a few days before the party."

"I was holding out hope that I would get up enough courage to ask her," he pouted as he sat down in one of Luna's chairs, "Obviously not. There's a reason I wasn't a Gryffindor."

Luna just hummed, nodded, and ushered him back to work. He walked out with his hands in his pockets, automatically walking back to the office he shared with Hermione, and blinked when he opened their door and saw a mug on his desk. He glanced to Hermione, who was working hard on a stack of their copious amount of paperwork, before turning back to the mug once the door had shut.

"Gingerbread tea," Hermione answered his unasked question, "Know you hate eggnog, thought you would like it." He looked over to her and saw that she was still working, but glanced up at him and gave a small smile before going back to work. He took a sip and smiled. It was warm, and slightly sweet, with enough spices to make him feel calm and relaxed. It kind of reminded him of somebody…. "Where were you?"

"Oh, I just asked Luna to the Christmas party," he shrugged, walking around to the proper side of his desk, checking over the papers left on it.

There was a slight pause before Hermione hummed, making him look up again to see the edges of her mouth drawn tighter.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"It's just…" she released a sigh and pushed away from her work, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers, shutting her eyes as she leaned into her chair, "I was planning to set her up with Neville."

"Oh, you little matchmaker," Blaise grinned, laying his arms on his desk and smiling at her as he set his chin on his arms, "You still can, we're not dating, it's just friendly – I needed a date, she needed a date."

"Well, yes, but now _I_ need a date," she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, "I was going to save you from the Harpy." Harper McFree was a young, exuberant witch that was completely infatuated with Blaise, to such an extent that he'd seriously considered getting a magical restraining order on her. She had nearly attacked Hermione for walking with him to the Floo, and Hermione had given her a quick hex and a nasty glare before sighing and walking on. Harper hadn't been able to stop her ears from ringing for weeks before Hermione finally took pity on her and removed the hex, although Blaise had argued with her about it for a good amount of time beforehand.

Hope sprung in Blaise's eyes before he quickly got rid of it and quirked a smirk, "Well, if only you'd asked sooner."

"I was going to ask you when you got back," she glared before shrugging, "Eh, I'll just go with Neville and tell him you and Luna are just friends. You have to dance with me at least once, though."

"Oh, Darling, I'll dance with you all you want," he grinned, leaning back in his chair, watching her roll her eyes and smile a little before turning her attention back on the papers. "You know I only have eyes for you." How true that was….

Hermione snorted and grinned up at him, "If you only have eyes for me, why did you ask Luna?"

"Well, just because I have eyes for you, doesn't mean other people don't have eyes for me," he said innocently, "Why, while you're sitting over there, breaking my heart again and again, I know the pain those other witches – and sometimes wizards – experience, and often feel the need to fill them with hope, no matter how impossible it may seem."

"Oh?" she blinked, a corner of her mouth tugging upwards, "And why is it impossible?"

"Because, Miss Granger," he stood and strolled over to her desk, taking the back of her chair and turning it while also pushing it back so that Hermione gripped the armrests and sucked in a breath. "One day you're going to have eyes for me. Why else would you ask me to dance?"

"To mend my broken heart from you asking Miss Lovegood to the party, of course," she crooned with a smirk to rival his own on her face. She was getting good. "After all, you've got to give a girl _something_."

She was too close, the temptation was rising. She had her face tilted up to him, her eyes half-lidded, the smirk on her face, her neck completely exposed….

Nope, they were in the office, someone could walk in, they'd get fired, he'd get killed. It would probably be worth it though.

She lost the smirk and arched an eyebrow up at him, looking up at him curiously, "Blaise?"

"Yes, Darling?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" she smiled a little.

"Just daydreaming," he sighed and released her chair from the tilt he'd been putting it in.

"About?" she prodded.

_Giving you a hickey._ "The day you finally begin to see sense and start chasing after me," he teased, tweaking her nose.

She chuckled, swatting him away, "You're so bipolar."

"Oh?" he asked, blinking and tilting his head at her as he sat at the edge of her desk. "How?"

"Well you go from flirtatious to casual to timid within a small time lapse," she grinned, grabbing her own mug and sipping it, "It's too common to be a normal thing."

"Oh, right, I – err," he blinked when she chuckled again, patting his knee.

"Whatever it is, Blaise, it's fine," she smiled, standing and taking her mug with her, pressing her lips to his cheek again. "Well, since you've broke my heart and promised a dance, I'm going to go tell Neville." She walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind her, leaving him to sigh and tilt his head up to the ceiling.

"I'm pathetic," he decided yet again.

* * *

"Luna, honestly, it's not as if you're my mother," Blaise frowned as Luna swiped again and again at his suit jacket before glancing up at his hair. "_No_. I draw the line at my hair. Don't touch it, Lovegood, I mean it!"

Luna gave a small pout before smiling dreamily at him, taking his arm and leading him down the large marble steps, "There's mistletoe everywhere, Blaise."

"Why are you pointing this out?" he asked warily.

"Nargles live in mistletoe," she blinked at him, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world, "I'm only warning you in case they take something."

"Uh-huh," he said unconvincingly before grinning when her hand darted out and lightly slapped his chest. "Ugh, I feel sorry for Longbottom."

She tilted her head and blinked at him, "What about Neville?"

"Well, you do know that he's here with Hermione, right?" he asked innocently as her large eyes narrowed slightly, "Well, Hermione got it into her head that you two would be a good couple. Crazy, right?" He watched her reaction carefully as she watched him in the same manner. When she finally arched an eyebrow back at him, he sighed and cracked, "Hermione wants to set you and Neville up, although it might've been his idea. Anyway, I was supposed to see how well you would take the idea."

Luna blinked back at him, "Oh, well all he should've done was ask. I would love to date Neville."

"Well, don't tell me that, tell Neville," he grinned, ushering her away, smiling when the blonde found the man and kissed him instead of a hello, making him blink and gape at her while Hermione caught his eye, shook her head, smiled and made her way over to him once he gave a grin and a wink. He took several steps back and grimaced, however, when the Harpy popped up and grinned at him.

"Hi, Blaise," she chirped, batting her eyelashes, although it looked as if she were having trouble blinking.

"Err, hi, Harpy-per," he caught himself and looked over her head desperately for Hermione. Where was she, where was she? Didn't she know who'd cornered him?

"I was wondering if you would want to dance with me?" she asked, dropping the tone in her voice, still having the blinking problem.

"Err, I'd love to, but I already promised that I'd dance with somebody else," he said, looking again before grinning when he saw Hermione, "And there she is gotta go bye." He walked quickly to Hermione, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the dance floor, sighing when the Harpy was nowhere in sight. "Sorry," he apologized when she rubbed her arm and frowned at him. He blinked when he saw her hair pinned up, her dress off-shoulder, exposing a few scars, although the fabric was a pale turquoise, long and flowing, her sleeves only the same fabric for about an inch or two, from there it became a transparent, floating material past her hands, moving when her arms moved.

"It's alright," she smiled when he placed his hand on her waist and took her hand.

"You look brilliant, by the way," he pointed out.

She ducked her head a little and grimaced, "Luna's idea. She brought the dress, did my hair, everything. The dress I was going to come in was certainly…different than this one."

"Either way, I'm sure you'd still look beautiful," he insisted.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Yeah, right. But thanks anyway."

"Oh come on, you're always beautiful," he grinned, dropping her hand and settling his arms on her waist, Hermione settling her hands on his shoulders, as he was much taller than her.

"If you say so," she sighed, bringing her hand back to brush away a curl. They attempted to continue dancing but were halted by an invisible force. They blinked and looked up, glad that everyone seemed to be preoccupied, as there was a little sprig of mistletoe tacked up on the wall, a silver ribbon around it. Hermione gaped and attempted to step away from him, but it seemed that his hands were stuck to her, and he only moved with her, as she moved with him.

He blushed, looked pleadingly at the crowd that didn't even notice, but saw that Luna and Neville were grinning and waving him on. _Of course_ she'd planned this. He should've denied everything. He sighed and dipped his head as Hermione blushed even darker and bit her lower lip. "Honestly," he began, "I really wish this wasn't because of a ruddy plant." He pressed his lips to hers, bending to meet her, while Hermione just stood there. He pulled away and took several big steps away from her, looking up at the plant, before giving an obviously fake grin and a small bow before striding through the amount of people to Apparate home.

Blaise, our disgruntled hero, plopped face first into his mattress, groaning and sighing in the darkness, his lips tingly from the contact from before. The fire roared and he buried his face into his pillow, "Look, mate, I don't know how you found out about it so fast, but I just want to be left _alone_! Honestly, I never should've fallen for her in the first place, it's only been trouble."

"Sorry, then," a different voice stated, making him sit up and blink at Hermione as she moved from the doorway to the window seat, picking her feet up and slipping her shoes off, wrapping her arms around her legs, "But you've got company." They sat there for a while, staring at each other, before Hermione finally turned to look out the window. "This is a nice view."

"Yeah," he said thickly, "I read or do work there."

She placed her head against the glass and sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she stared out at the falling snow, "I talked to Luna. And I'm, honestly, very sorry."

He squinted at her, "Uhm, what?"

She turned and blinked at him, "I told Luna that I – err – rather fancied you, and she planted all the mistletoe at the party. I had no idea that you – uhm – liked someone else."

Blaise blinked back at her before laughing, starting out as a snort of disbelief and growing while Hermione only looked curiously at him.

"What's so funny?" she questioned as he stood, with a grin on his face, and kneeled in front of her, cupping her face and kissing her properly.

* * *

"I really want the Harpy off my tail. Honestly, it's been months – she should get over it."

Blaise snorted and grinned at Hermione while she pouted, an arm around her shoulders, walking leisurely with her to the Floo. He kissed the side of her head and grinned, muttering into her ear, "Do you have some sort of tension I need to get rid of when we get home?"

She smirked and turned to look up at him, "Who says I'm going with you?"

"Well, home _is_ where the heart is – I just figured I was holding yours while you held mine," he stated, tweaking her nose.

"Oh, that was so cliché," she snorted, making him chuckle and grin back.

"I know – but, you're coming home with me because you really don't have a choice." He smirked and tugged on her hair, making her tilt her head back as he examined a small red mark on her neck. "I didn't get to finish it from this morning, after all. You left to change clothes too fast."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Darling," Hermione smirked, pecking his lips, "But I figured walking into work with the same clothes from yesterday would've tipped everyone off as to why you're in such a good mood lately."

"What, dating you isn't enough to make me happy?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Let's just say that if the events of the night we got together went just slightly differently, then you would need some way to get rid of your…tension," she smiled.

"What, you mean you _wouldn't_ agree to a slumber party initially?" he blinked as though shocked before he followed her through the Floo.

"Of course not," she grinned as she stood in his living room, continuing the conversation, "Not for a while, at least."

"What, so you just needed a good shag that night?" he asked, speaking freely since they were out of the workplace.

"Well, I didn't _think_ I did," she said as she sat down on his couch. "But apparently after all of the snogging and how much work you went into unpinning my hair, that I changed my mind."

"I've always loved your hair," he said as he sat next to her, playing with a curl as he spoke, "You pinned it up the first time I was allowed to play with it."

"I apologize," she grinned, kissing him lightly before leaning into him.

"You know," he muttered after a few moments, "I've been thinking…my window seat could hold two people."

"And just what are you insinuating here?" she asked warily, pulling away slightly.

"That you should move in with me," he grinned as she blinked, "Well, since I have your heart and you have mine, it would be logical, wouldn't it? Putting them both in the same place?"

It was a risk, he knew, but he decided that it was definitely, _definitely_ worth it. Especially since she agreed.

_The End._


End file.
